Luxor: Temple of Karnak and Luxor

Today we are heading south, by plane to Luxor. The flight from Cairo departs at 6 o'clock, so we have to get up at 3 o'clock. But we will be grateful later in the day, as we will avoid both the crowds and the heat.

After a little over an hour flight (in a propeller plane), we arrive in Luxor. During the flight, you can observe the dry landscape - it is only green around the Nile. I even spot some grapevines. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to drink the wine...

Directly from the airport, we go to the Temple of Karnak. On the way, you get a glimpse of the 2.7 kilometer long avenue, which is lined with sphinxes and connects the temples of Karnak and Luxor. However, you cannot walk on it - at least not yet, maybe that will be possible in the future.

At 9 o'clock we arrive at the Temple of Karnak. It is the largest temple complex in Egypt and the pharaohs tried to outdo each other with their constructions here. The columns are gigantic and adorned with an incredible amount of details. It is beautiful that some of the columns have been cleaned and the colors under the sand and dust are now visible. Our guide Hoda takes us to a small but beautiful side temple that is actually not yet open to visitors - with baksheesh, you can do a lot.

Afterwards, we check into our rooms on the Nile ship, where we will spend the next 4 days. It is a bit old-fashioned, but in the end, the most important thing is the Nile and the sights along it. It is clear, however, that there will only be tourist food on the ship in the following days. They probably don't want to take any risks.

I rest a bit and explore the ship. I wonder where the crew sleeps, there are quite a few crew members who take care of us. In any case, they will certainly not enjoy the same luxury as our cabins...

We visit the Luxor Temple at sunset. I would have liked to visit the Luxor Museum as well, but unfortunately it is closed until 5pm and then we don't have time anymore. The Winter Palace also doesn't have time. Honestly, I can't remember many details about the Luxor Temple, as we have been on the go for a very long time by now. The temple was discovered by chance, although somehow someone must have known what was there, as a mosque was built on the remains of the temple and hieroglyphs can be seen on the wall of the mosque. The mosque is still in use. The atmosphere at sunset is very beautiful, especially when the muezzin calls to prayer and has a very pleasant, warm voice. This is what traveling should feel like!

We go to bed early again, because tomorrow we leave at 4 o'clock.